Iron From Ice

Chapter 4

Mira Forrester ~ King's Landing ~ Mira's chambers

Mira stands in her room, reading the letter from her mother. She is troubled by the news. Ramsay Snow is on its way with Ludd. That is not good, and she knows it. Her mother may not have told all the details, but she told enough to make Mira act on her family's behalf. She just needs to think of a way to convince Lady Margaery to help her family.

As she thinks about a way to help her family, her thoughts were disrupted by someone knocking on her door. "Just one moment," Mira calls out as she walks to the door to open it.

When the door opened enough to see who it is, she sees a coal boy standing with a bucket filled with coal. Mira finds it curious that the boy is a bit startled to see her.

"Oh. Sorry, m'lady. I-I didn't mean to disturb you. I can come back later if you'd like," the boy says. "No, it's fine. Come in," Mira says, and opens the door for the boy. Mira walks back to the window to read the last bit of the letter. She sighs as it contains only bad news.

The coal boy walks to the pot with the coal and starts filling it. "Begging your pardon, m'lady. But... are you alright?" the boy asks. "I'm fine. Thank you. Please hurry, Lady Margaery will soon be here," Mira says with a kind smile as she looks briefly at the boy. "Of course."

The boy puts the last few pieces of coal in the pot. "You work for Lady Margaery?" He asks, a slight hesitation can be heard in his voice. "I'm her handmaiden," Mira answers politely. "That's what I thought. I've seen you with her before. You seem like good friends. I saw her just this morning, outside the Royal Sept, talking to Queen Cersei."

That surprised Mira. It is not super surprising to hear about them interacting, but it is well known that Cersei holds a grudge against Margaery. And Cersei does not make it easy for those that she holds a grudge against. Tyrion is a good example according to the rumors that can be heard in the hallways.

"Cersei?" Mira ponders aloud. "They appeared to be having a disagreement. I couldn't hear much, but... I know they were talking about the Starks and... and House Forrester..." Mira's eyes widen in surprise. "House Forrester?" she says in surprise.

She has a bad feeling about this. If Cersei talks about you, it is most likely not a good thing. And it was a disagreement? Even more troubling, Cersei is not known to sit still for long.

"I hope you're not in any kind of trouble. But I thought you ought to know. Most people don't tend to notice a coal boy. Not in King's Landing with so many Lords and Ladies about," the boys says as he walks to the door to leave, "You see and hear all kind of things when people don't even know you're there. Goodnight, m'lady," he says, bows his head lightly, and leaves the room.

Mira's mind slips back into her family troubles. How can she help when people like Cersei are talking bad about them. It will discourage most people from talking or helping her. If there is one person you do not wish to cross, it is Cersei. Mira looks to the door again as it opens once more.

Lady Margaery walks in and smiles as she sees Mira standing near the Window. "Lady, Margaery. You're early," Mira greets her with a soft smile. "I was hoping there would be time for us to talk," Margaery starts to say, "Come, there's something we need to discuss." They leave the room and start to walk. Sera, Margaery's other handmaiden, walks with them.

As they walk, Margaery continues her talk. "From the day you arrived in Highgarden, I've thought of you more as a friend than as my handmaiden. A dear friend, in fact," Margaery says. Mira smiles softly in response. It's heart-warming to hear the words from Margaery, especially in a place like King's Landing. "Thank you, my lady."

"And you know how I feel about what's happened to your family. I feel your pain as if it were my own. What you've suffered is beyond imagining," Margaery says as she squeezes Mira's shoulder. "You're very kind, my lady."